Dinosaur Egg Treats

My son's birthday party so we are in birthday party prep mode.  Our theme is dinosaurs.  I made him a pinata and today I made little dinosaur eggs with toy dinosaurs inside.

First wash your dinosaurs.

 I used Cocoa DinoBites cereal.

 Measure out 7 cups of cereal and take out some of the tiny marshmallows, about a cups worth.

 Melt 3 Tbsp of butter, a 10 ounce bag of marshmallows, and a Tablespoon of corn syrup together until the marshmallows are melted.

 Pour on the cereal and stir carefully to combine.

 Add in the marshmallows from the cereal.

 Spray vegetable oil spray on your hands or butter them and form the cereal into a ball around a toy dinosaur.  Wrap in plastic wrap.

Dinosaur Egg Treats

Ingredients:

6 cups of Puffed Rice Cereal or 7 cups of DynoBites cereal
10 ounce bag of marshmallows
3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. corn syrup (optional)

    Measure out the cereal into a bowl.  If you are using DynoBites take out about a cup of marshmallows to be used later.
    Melt the butter into a medium sized saucepan.  Add the marshmallows (and corn syrup if desired) and stir until smooth.  Pour onto the cereal and stir carefully.  Then add the reserved marshmallows and stir carefully.  Spray hands with vegetable oil spray or rub with batter.  Form into a ball around a toy dinosaurs.  Wrap in plastic wrap.

My Favorite Granola Recipe

Granola

I got this recipe from my sister years ago and have never tried another recipe since.  It makes a ton, but we go through it fast.

Erin's Granola

Ingredients

2/3 cup water
3 cups brown sugar

2 cups vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)

9 cups rolled oats (I don't like quick oats)
3 cups puffed rice cereal
2 tsp. salt
1 cup slivered almonds or sunflower seeds

You can also add additional things like dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut, or anything really!

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.  First mix the oats, puffed rice, salt, and almonds or seeds in a giant bowl.  Set aside.

Stir the water and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Boil for two minutes stirring to dissolve the brown sugar.

Add the vegetable oil and chosen extracts.

Add this liquid to the dry ingredients in the bowl.  Stir and make sure to get the bottom mixed in.

Pour into two large cookie sheets like jelly roll pans.

Bake for an hour stirring throughout at least twice.

Once the granola is nice and crunchy pull out of the oven and cool on parchment or wax paper.  I just spread it out on my kitchen table.  Then I put it in a big container like an old ice cream bucket.

We eat it on yogurt, in milk like normal cereal, and plain.  My daughter likes to mix in things and call her creations "trail mix".